Speaking of Dividends

Holiday Bonuses for Shareholders

'Tis the season for investors to be jolly because once again it's dividend-bonus time. Actually, through Sept. 30 this year, extra payouts surpassed the year-earlier tally by 29%, or 375 versus 291, according to data compiled by S&P Dow Jones Indices. In 2012's final quarter, of course, special dividends skyrocketed as companies voted an abundance of them to be paid by the end of the year to help shareholders avoid possible higher taxes in 2013, had the U.S. gone over the fiscal cliff.